Evaluation of a drug deactivation system for safe disposal of opioids after ambulatory surgery.

Background: Prescription opioids are commonly prescribed postoperatively and increase the risk of diversion or misuse when left unused and accessible. Despite awareness of the risks associated with unused opioids, harm reduction strategies like safe storage and drug take-back events may be limited by inconvenience and patient-specific barriers to access.

Objective: To evaluate a quality improvement project designed to facilitate at-home disposal of unused opioids after day surgery.